This invention relates to a stereoselective process for the preparation of chiral intermediates useful in the preparation of 1-carbapenem and 1-carbacephem antibiotics.
The non-classical .beta.-lactam antibiotics such as the 1-carbapenems and 1-carbacephems are the subject of extensive study. Since these structures have not been obtained from natural sources, eg. as microbial metabolites, considerable effort is directed to asymmetric processes for their preparation in the desired stereochemical form.